Suzanne Askham

A Personal Take on Climate Change, and Cleaning up my Corner of the World

When I was in my 20s, living and working in London, I wasn’t great at handling finances. I didn’t budget, I got overdrawn, and I avoided thinking about the implications of my overspending. Letters from the bank remained unopened. My debts got worse.

For some reason I was thinking of this just the other evening as I made my way to the village hall, along the winding road that always seems longer in the dark. We were gathering to watch a film – People’s Emergency Briefing – and discuss climate change. Like my long-ago debts, the effects of climate change can be a depressing and scary subject that many people prefer not to face up to. And yet, there are practical steps that can and are being done – that we can do.

The first and most important step is always awareness. I had to face up to opening my bank letters. Once I’d got over the shock, I took practical action that eventually sorted my finances. I absolutely believe that we can do the same for nature and our planet. I am so lucky to live surrounded by nature; why wouldn’t I cherish it? All any of us have to do is face up to the facts, then break the challenge down into achievable steps. A great start is to join your local climate action group, whatever name it goes by – that’s possibly the best way to help clean up your corner of the world.